E-MAIL RULES: for the ‘shiny objects’ in everyone’s life

I don’t know about you, but when messages arrive in my inbox I find it distracting. I know that for most efficient use of my time, important but not urgent tasks, like my volunteer work, should be grouped and dealt with together. Nonetheless, sometimes I get distracted by the “shiny object”. Like most people, I divide up my time many ways–volunteer work, committees, projects–there are just so many shiny objects! I decided a few years ago to make technology work for me instead of against me with a message-sorting system that organizes my mail as it arrives. Here’s how it works:

STEP 1: Decide on a keyword
Choose on a short, easy-to-remember keyword, like an acronym for the organization or association. If we use the fictional Association of Businesses and Corporations as an example, a good keyword would be ABC. Decide as a board that all email correspondence will include this keyword in the subject line, like the examples below:

Like this…
Subject: ABC Let’s set a meeting date
But not…
Subject: A-B-C Let’s set a meeting date

Like this…
Subject: Let’s set a meeting date ABC
Not This…
Subject: Let’s set an abc meeting date

STEP 2: Create folder for the keyword
Each member creates a folder called ABC in his or her email program. Once the filter is created, all ABC mail will be funneled to this folder, rather than into your inbox.

STEP 3: Create rule or filter
The procedure for creating a rule or filter is different in every email program, but if you search for help on ‘filtering messages’, your email program should walk you through the steps.

The following instructions work in Microsoft Office Outlook 2003.

1. Click on TOOLS
2. Click on RULES AND ALERTS
3. Click on NEW RULE
4. Click on MOVE MESSAGES WITH SPECIFIC WORDS IN THE SUBJECT TO A FOLDER
5. Click NEXT
6. Click on SPECIFIC WORDS
7. Type the word you want to filter mail for e.g. ABC
8. Click ADD
9. Click OK
10. Click on SPECIFIED
11. Navigate to and highlight the folder you want email to go in e.g. ABC
12. Click OKAY
13. Click NEXT
14. Click NEXT
15. Click NEXT
16. Click on the box beside RUN THIS RULE NOW ON MESSAGES ALREADY IN ‘INBOX’
17. Click OKAY